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Authors J.A. Ironside and M.E. Vaughan talk about books, films and all aspects of speculative fiction, from the nuts and bolts of writing it, to its (occasionally) obscure origins.
Episodes
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Friday Feb 11, 2022
Economic status is a major consideration in both world building and characterisation, and that's before you consider the fact that SFF is often concerned with confronting the reader with real world problems disguised as speculative fiction. This week, the dragons take a look at wealth versus poverty when it comes to creating a world and developing characters. From Terry Pratchett's Vimes' Economy of Boots to Trudi Canavan's Black Magician - where the being able to afford access to your own magic is a sign of wealth and status - to the difference between being a Malfoy and a Weasley at wizarding school, Jules and Madeleine have got you covered.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Have you ever read a book that included all the tropes, story and character types you love, and yet found it didn't work for you? Have you read books in genres that you typically don't like, and loved them without really understanding why? How do some authors pull off the trick of having readers follow them cross genre, and how can we as authors do the same? This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at broad reader appeal in storytelling terms and how you can make it work for you. Whether you write the bleakest of dystopian fiction, the most nihilistic horror or the fluffiest romance, you too can lead your readers Pied Piper style across all the genres you want to write. (At least some of your readers, anyway!)
Join the dragons to find out how in this week's episode
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Friday Jan 28, 2022
Most readers of SFF and speculative fiction are familiar with the 'call to arms' or inciting incident. That familiarity extends to the variety of ways a protagonist or side character reacts to the event. While bravery, calculation or a sense of adventure are more common, there is also something engaging about the unabashedly cowardly character. Going a step beyond being merely a reluctant hero, cowardly characters generally start with no desire to engage with the unfolding adventure at all. So what is it about these characters - both the positive and the negative - which captures the imagination? This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at various permutations of the archetype and theorise why. On the slab this week - The Princess Bride, Howl's Moving Castle, The Lies of Locke Lamora and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Friday Jan 21, 2022
Okay, hear us out: the reverse harem trope isn't necessarily anything to do with wish fulfilment, sex or erotica. And this week, we're going to delve into why and how, and exactly what makes this trope so popular. From anime to fairytales in it's origins, to its inclusion in urban fantasy and paranormal romance, this trope has far more in common with the found family trope than you might initially believe.
On the slab this week Fruits Basket, Labyrinth, Annette Marie's Guild Codex and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Friday Jan 14, 2022
Who gets to tell the story is often as important as the story itself - certainly in fiction and often in real life too. While the dragons generally hold the view that stories belong to everyone, they also feel that not every story is owned equally by all storytellers and that writers have a duty to treat subjects sensitively and do due diligence. That being said, there is also a trend towards using buzzwords to categorise certain narratives, which robs them of their nuance. Stories beget other stories; art doesn't happen in a vacuum uninfluenced, so it's important to thoroughly examine something before you discard it.
This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at the 'white saviour trope' in films, books and other media. What exactly is it? Where did it come from? Is it as simple as a narrative device used to make certain readers/ viewers feel better about complicated socio-political and historical events, or is there more to it? And could it possibly be suffering from mis-application?
Find out in thus second part of a two part episode. On the slab during this discussion: A Time to Kill, The Help, Avatar, Game of Thrones and many more.
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Friday Jan 07, 2022
Who gets to tell the story is often as important as the story itself - certainly in fiction and often in real life too. While the dragons generally hold the view that stories belong to everyone, they also feel that not every story is owned equally by all storytellers and that writers have a duty to treat subjects sensitively and do due diligence. That being said, there is also a trend towards using buzzwords to categorise certain narratives, which robs them of their nuance. Stories beget other stories; art doesn't happen in a vacuum uninfluenced, so it's important to thoroughly examine something before you discard it.
This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at the 'white saviour trope' in films, books and other media. What exactly is it? Where did it come from? Is it as simple as a narrative device used to make certain readers/ viewers feel better about complicated socio-political and historical events, or is there more to it? And could it possibly be suffering from mis-application?
Find out in part one of a two part episode. On the slab during this discussion: A Time to Kill, The Help, Avatar, Game of Thrones and many more.
Title Music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Dec 31, 2021
Friday Dec 31, 2021
A Happy New Year to all our listeners!
We have once again completed a full revolution of the sun so it's time for the dragons to take some time and look back over the last year. Despite ongoing issues with politics and pandemic, 2021 has had a lot of good bits. Jules and Madeleine are going to share some of their favourites - both news items you might have missed and art and literature they've enjoyed. Not to mention all that they themselves have managed to accomplish and what they hope to do writing wise in 2022. Join us for an uplifting episode that will hopefully set the tone for the new year.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Dec 24, 2021
Friday Dec 24, 2021
The dragons feel that they've talked about the bloodier origins of winter festivals enough for now so this year's Christmas episode is focusing on festive games. On a whistle stop tour through history, Jules and Madeleine take a look popular winter pastimes such as 'hot cockles', the cushion dance, buffy gruffy and up Jenkins, to name just a few. A light hearted festive episode that doesn't stray into (too much) gory detail.
The dragons also wish all their listeners a very merry yule!
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Dec 17, 2021
Friday Dec 17, 2021
The dragons would never claim to have exhausted all types of literary device but they are aware that they have neglected this one: riddles. Where do these word puzzles originate? What do they tell us about folklore and literature? How have they been used over the centuries? And who the hell let that cadaverous white horse in? In a perfect episode pre-winter solstice, Jules and Madeleine take a look at riddling.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic
Friday Dec 10, 2021
Friday Dec 10, 2021
What if your favourite character did choose the left hand fork of the path, they chose the right? What if a key piece of information was shared instead of hidden? What if the person who steps up and takes responsibility for the cursed object, is someone different? This week the dragons look at a variety of well known narratives and experiment with what would have happened in the story and how events would have been different if a key pivot point point in the plot had been subtly changed. Part fun thought experiment, part useful exercise for writers who want to learn to plot effectively or who need to get unstuck on a story.
On the slab this week: Game of Thrones, How to Train Your Dragon, Jane Eyre and many more.
Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic